Reviews with content warning for Drug use - Kissing Kosher

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and MIRA in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

WARNING: the unpopular opinion train has made another unscheduled stop...

There is just something about a good contemporary with a food angle that I never seem to be able to resist, so of course I was drawn to Kissing Kosher straight away. I loved the sound of the bakery, the family feud and the focus on chronic illness, and I've been looking forward to dive in. I fully expected to enjoy my time with this story, and the reviews have been raving so far... But somehow I ended up having mixed thoughts instead.

First of all, I have to stress that I still love the premise of this story. If you like a food angle in your stories, you will be in for a real treat Kissing Kosher, and you will be craving all kinds of Jewish treats long before you reach that final page. While it's true that I've never personally tasted many of those treats mentioned in this story, it's definitely made me want to look up recipes and try. The Best Babka bakery plays a central role in the plot, and I really liked what both the setting and the characters working there added to the plot.

I also have to stress that my mixed feelings might just have to do with the fact that my (apparently extremely) fickle reading mood has been acting up more than usual lately, and it might just have been the wrong time for me to read this story. That said, there was just something about the writing style, tone and word choice that really started to grate on me. Don't get me wrong, I did love the inclusion of Jewish terms and customs... The explanations helpful if you are not that familiar with certain aspects of the religion. BUT. There was also quite a lot of repetition going on and the word choice in certain descriptions just didn't feel natural to me. Especially Avital and Ethan's interactions can be considerably cringeworthy, and I just never felt their chemistry.

I mentioned repetition before, and I also have to say that certain parts of the plot were way too slow and too much like a big old info-dump. While I appreciate certain information being provided, was it really necessary to do so in such a detailed and scholarly way? Like I said, there was just something off about the tone, which was a bit all over the place. As for the main characters... I also ended up having mixed thoughts. While I can appreciate some aspects of their personalities and the challenges they face, I somehow never connected to them, and especially the romance lacked chemistry as well as credibility.

I also wasn't a fan of how chronic illness was incorporated into the story; I understand the importance of shining a light on just how much chronic illness can affect your life, but somehow the constant repetition and aggressive way of describing everything had an opposite effect on me. (I have Hashimoto's disease, so I do have some experience dealing with chronic illness even though it's not chronic pain; it's not like it should be hard to relate to Avital on paper, but somehow I struggled anyway.) I also don't find it credible that medical marijuana was never mentioned as an option for Avital, and especially in this day and age.

All in all there were things I liked in Kissing Kosher, while other aspects didn't work as well for me personally. Fickle reading mood or simply not for me... Either way, if you like the sound of this story, please keep in mind that most people do seem to love this book.

Content Warnings

chronicallybookish's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

4.25 stars
Age Rating: 17+
Spice Level: 1/5

The Matzah Ball remains my favorite Jean Meltzer book…
But this one is my new second favorite!
The disability representation was absolutely incredible. There were so many important discussions around living with chronic pain, medical mistreatment and trauma, pain management, sexual dysfunction religion and identity when you’re living with chronic pain and disability… and of course so much more, Judaism and family.
This book has it all—
Romeo and Juliet-esque feuding families
A feuding food establishmant fight over a secret recipe a la Mr Krabs and Plankton from Spongebob
Marijuana*
And of course, swoony romance

*The book actually has some phenomenal discussions about marijuana, and medical marijuana that I really enjoyed. I loved seeing that stigma tackled and broken down in a book, and I think Jean Meltzer did it wonderfully.

This book was both incredibly fun and incredibly heartfelt. I love Avital and Ethan and the whole Best Babka crew. Sometimes—especially when it came to the rivalry—things got a bit too overdramatic for my taste, but all in all, it really is an amazing, important book that I cannot recommend more. Do be warned—it will leave you desperately craving pumpkin babka!

Rep: Jewish MCs, interstitial cystitis, chronic pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, vulvodynia, fibroids, menstraul problems, medical trauma
CW: chronic pain, suicidal ideation, sex-related pain & sexual dysfunction, ableism, medical trauma/gaslighting doctors/doctors that can’t or won’t help you, abusive parental figure, emotional abuse, parent loss (off page, in the past), cannabis use (medical and non-medical), sexual content

Content Warnings

louisekf's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

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